Come to me, that your soul may live...

Trying to organize your thoughts and emotions from a week of living in the village into a single message simply cannot capture the reality of time passed in Uganda.  If you can imagine it, it has happened.  Starting with every Bible we have helped distribute, catching and releasing Francis the Rat from the boys hut, meals shared with our neighbors, to the ants which attacked our home last evening and the apocalypse immediately following, the excitement, emotions, and lessons learned are simply too great for words to truly suffice in explaining our emotions, the surprise, and the faithfulness of God in all things.  Yet as I think of the last week, though overwhelming, it is evident that in everything, God is reminding me of his heart for those in need and that he sees and knows every problem we will face and that he alone can make beautiful even the most desperate situations.  He longs to take broken things and make them beautiful, to deal justly to all who practice injustice, and to use all the hurt and pain the world could ever see to be a platform for hope and for his glory. 

Though he is in close pursuit of everyone, God has only affirmed he longs for all his people to participate in his redemption plan. God has made it clear to me that our heart, and our role, should be to do justice, and to be the hands and feet of the life giving love that has so changed us.  He has also reminded me that in my insufficiencies, he is sufficient.  In my imperfection, he is the good and perfect shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  In my misunderstanding, he will make himself known.  And in the midst of false religion, oppression, neglect, and injustice, he is truth, he is freedom, and he is just (Ezekiel 34).

My last update was sent the day before visiting a nearby orphanage, Father’s House, where we played, sang with the kids, enjoyed their dances and demonstrations, but also heard from the hearts of the humble servants who run and operate this incredible house of love (Read more of Nicole’s thoughts in our blog post from last week).  Training with the Bayern Young Stars Football Club has continued.  Denis, our translator and the most recent addition to our team, is quite the footballer and has been a huge support for the team and for helping increase the depths of our friendships.  Every day comes with new surprises and changed plans, music festivals, dinners with friends, or some unexpected wildlife looking to consume your home. And finally, we have spent most of our time distributing Bibles in the community, and watching as those who long to have their own Bible come find us directly at our homestead. 

Never have I seen such a deep hunger for God’s written Word.  Time and time again my heart has been convicted as we watched others receive their family’s first Bible.  On Tuesday when the farmers came to work the community garden, the farmers sang, danced, and knelt down in the dirt as you could see the gratitude in their entire being. Communities have given us lists of those in their homesteads and church communities who are without a Bible and have agreed to take us to deliver the gift of God’s word in their own language.  With each home visit comes another story as we are granted an opportunity to see into the difficult realties many families face.  Often, families’ salaries are withheld simply because the money is not there, and nearly always it is their children who suffer because there is no money to pay their school fees.  Limited access to medical treatment and a judicial system which arrests those on mere accusation are a few other stories we hear as we listen to our new friends.  In the midst of all their struggles, many of which are not consequences of their own decisions but rather a broken humanity, I continue to see a hope and a trust in the Lord I do not believe I have ever been blessed to see with my own eyes.  Daily I saw a hope and a hunger for God that I long to know within my own heart.

In addition to visiting others at their home, there are also those who seek us out at our home.  Everyone comes, the illiterate young boy, the drunken old man, the desperate family, and the teenage girl who longs for God to be known through her life.  With each new visitor I saw our prayers, and yours, for Isaiah 55 come to life. 

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat...  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David (Isa 55:1,3). 

The only thing God requires from us is that we would come to him, or that we would recognize him as he comes to us.  God’s love and his word, is for all who hunger and thirst.  His word bids us to come as we are.  Come and eat, delight in rich food.  Come.  Drink.  Drink deep from the wells of living water and never thirst again.  Recognize your need for food and water that will satisfy and simply come as you are.  You don’t have to fix your problems or correct your theology first, just come to Jesus and live.  

This has been quite the challenge as I reflect on my own life, and as I share conversation with my team members.  So many times we want to right the wrong in our hearts and in our actions before trusting Jesus will have us.  But without Jesus, without accepting the invitation to participate in his story, we’ll always be settling for “less”.  I forget all the evidence in my own life which shows Jesus has been chasing me, and I become so easily distracted for things that do not satisfy.  I want to long for Jesus as my friends in Africa do, even if they have yet to read from the pages of scripture.  I want to believe so strongly in God’s promises for me because his word is truth, and thus his promises are also true, that my tiny anxieties compared to this culture do not distract me from the work God is doing.  I don’t want to settle for less, even if that means discomfort.  I want Jesus to be the first place I look the moment my life is interrupted or inconvenienced and I want to believe with all that I am he will do all that he says he will.

Even now I feel as though I could write pages more about each story.  But to keep this as “short” as I can, I invite you to continue praying for us and with us for the needs and the people of this community. 

Continue to pray for the Bibles that will be distributed.  Please join us in praying Isaiah 55 over God’s word.  That his steadfast, sure love for David would be placed deep within the hearts of those reading, that young leaders would cling to the life giving words found in scripture and that they would trust God with all their uncertainties and insufficiencies.  Pray that these words would fall on the hearts of men as rain and snow which do not return until accomplishing all God has purposed it.

Pray for kids and young men who frequently find their way onto our homestead.  Moskey, Cesar, Sam and Francis are a few of those who spend time playing with us and joining us for evening prayer though they do not understand most of what we say in English. 

Pray for Walter, our director.  His health has improved greatly, but he remains busy and his wife very pregnant.  Pray for them, for rest and for health as they wait for their newest addition to the family.

Please continue to pray for us, pray for an increased trust and confidence in who he is.  As we meet many needs, pray God deepens our trust in his provision and his faithfulness especially as our organization grows as well as the needs associated with it.  And please, pray he continues to draw us close to him, showing us more of how much he loves us and revealing to us more of his love for the people in our communities.  Pray we would see them as God sees them.

Thank you all, thank you for your support and your prayers.  Though we are so often “off the grid”, it is a blessing to sit down and recall the goodness of the Lord and share our joy with you.

Grace and love to you all, always.

Cyrus

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice. 
Ezekiel 34:15-16

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place...

Our dearest friends and family,

Wow, I sit here trying to think about where to begin and am at somewhat of a loss. This week was so good and full of the favor of God. We began passing out Bibles, and although we expected great things, I don’t think any of us could have ever imagined what a blessing it would be. We have gotten to see His Word come to life in the most beautiful ways as people have received it for the first time and have burst forth in praise and worship at their hunger fulfilled. God has graced us with what I think we would all agree was a glimpse of Heaven touching Earth, so much to the point of having to take off our shoes because it was so evident that we were standing on Holy ground. We have heard incredible stories of faith and God’s faithfulness that have in turn grown our faith as well. We have gotten to sit in our front yard and share communion with new friends, mediating on the truth of the Gospel and the love and redemption of Jesus. All in all, we’ve just seen God’s hand at work around every corner – seeing clearly how He has been at work long before we ever got here and will continue to move long after we are gone. I am continually blown away at His invitation for us to step in and join Him in the things He is doing. THERE’S NOWHERE ELSE I’D RATHER BE!!! That, my heart has grown more and more certain of.

As we have come to serve, the Lord has been so kind, as He always is, in pouring into us far more than we could ever pour out. He has pulled us closer into His heart and allowed us to better understand the depths of His love, bringing us to places of deeper intimacy with Him. He’s showed us His faithfulness time and time again and taught us more of what it looks like to trust and lean on Him fully. He is continually opening our eyes more and more to see the world and people the way that He does and teaching our hearts how to love like Jesus. In all of that, joy has been full.

As we head back into the village today, we invite you to continue joining us in prayer!

• ·      Pray over the Bibles and the people receiving them. Isaiah 55 has been a passage that has remained on our hearts; join us in praying it over the souls of these precious people!                           “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price… Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live, and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David… Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near… so shall my Word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands...”

• ·      Pray for the kids and families that frequently find their way onto our homestead – that He continues to demonstrate His truth and love through us and that people would encounter Jesus as they step into our homes.
• ·      Pray for Tuli and the projects going on here – that He would have His way and be glorified through it all.
• ·      Pray for Walter and his family as he works tirelessly and his wife, Jennifer, is expecting a baby in the next month! Pray health and blessings over his home and that he would be strengthened and encouraged as he presses on in obedience.
• ·      Pray for us – that God continues to stretch and teach us, pulling us closer into Himself, that our hearts would be fully surrendered to Him and we would be sensitive to His voice and in step with the Spirit.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. We are so grateful for each and every one of you – although you remain on the other side of the world, you all are an extremely vital part of our team! We love you. Yes, you :) A lot!

Joyfully His,

Nicole

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God… For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” Psalm 84

"Come, everyone who thirsts..."

Afoyo! (Hello in Luo) We are back in town from our first week in the village! Gosh, it was so so good. We rode up last weekend to a big group of our old friends singing and dancing around our hut waiting for us to arrive. What a sweet reunion it was :) We spent the first few days visiting with friends, sharing meals and catching up on life. Adjusting to village life has been somewhat blissful. You can almost feel time slow down as you walk along the dirt road and sit under the stars. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

On Sunday we went back to a church in the village that is pastored by our friend Bosco. It’s so incredible to watch praise rise up on the other side of the world – in a unique way and a language that I can’t understand, knowing that it is heard and received by the same Father that I worship every day in America. The guys (Cyrus and Josh) got to share some encouragement from the Word and we got to kneel with and pray for some precious souls. Crying out for a touch from God, for healing and for the victory of Jesus to reign down in power - my trust in our good God and His good plans deepened. My heart was confident and at rest in the truth that HE IS LORD and that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for all redemption and restoration. While we were praying healing and freedom over a man named Moses, the Lord put a simple song on my heart – “All we need is Your touch, God; Come and touch us now”. That’s kind of been the anthem of my heart lately.

Our main “project” that we’re doing while we’re here is handing out Bibles in the local language, Luo. Until now, the villagers have had very little access to the Word. There are a few Bibles scattered throughout, most of which are in English, but you would be hard-pressed to find fifty at most. We have ordered five hundred from the capital city and will be giving them to any family in the village that wants one. We spent Thursday fasting and praying over each one individually and will begin the distribution this week. We are planning on going house to house, sitting down and talking to people, sharing the Gospel, answering questions, and praying over families and homes as they receive the Word for the first time.

I’m really excited and very expectant for what God is going to do in this place as it is filled with His Word. Pray with us for a hunger and longing to sweep over this place. Pray for divine understanding and for chains to be broken by truth. Pray that the truth of Jesus would penetrate hearts and the Gospel would take deep root. And pray for me, too. As I have been dwelling in prayer over these Bibles, much conviction and urgency has fallen on my own heart to understand the value of God’s Word and to have a deep hunger for it. I know He wants to teach me the very things that I am praying over the people here. More of Jesus is what I want, really.

Yesterday in Gulu we got to go spend the day with some sweet, sweet kids at Father’s House Orphanage. It is a truly wonderful place, full of the love and presence of God. It is run by Ugandans from around here – just committed Christ followers who live by James 1:27 “Religion that God the Father looks at as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” They have given their lives to this and have provided a beautiful home and family for these precious kids. We got to talk with the leadership about the best way we can support and encourage them in their obedience and are excited about the potential opportunities! God allowed me to get a glimpse of His heart as I sat with those kids and we taught each other “Jesus loves me” in our respective languages and as I watched them dance and play with joy and got to hold a sweet girl as tears streamed down her face thinking about her parents. The goodness of God’s promise “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18) washed over me afresh. It is so GOOD to be His child!!!!! Thank You, Jesus.

There’s much more I could write. I’ve been working on this update for far too long, trying to condense my thoughts as I attempt to “sum it up” in a few short paragraphs. Basically, God is good and on the move, and I’m thankful to be here. It is a joy and honor to be in this beautiful place serving and learning from these beautiful people. I hope all is well in America! I LOVE you all so very very much. 

His,

Nicole 

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David..." Isaiah 55:1-3

Let Me Be

              While I have known about Switchboard almost since day one, it has only been in the last few weeks I have joined the Switchboard team on an official capacity.  I wrestled with the idea that God’s desire for me is to only exercise one or two of my passions at a time, mainly because I seem to be drawn to opposing forces.  Close community and travel for long periods of time.  Those deeply rooted in religion, and those deeply hurt by religion.  There cannot be a way I could be connected to a local community and at the same time satisfy my hearts desire for people, language, and culture and the global church.  There was something missing in my understanding of who God is.  When it comes to our spiritual life, our understanding of who God is might just be the most important thing we could believe.

                Do you ever wonder why God places huge visions for His world deep within our hearts, but only gives us one little piece at a time to build this God-sized dream?  Then there are the moments it seems as though we walk into seasons where God doesn’t tell us or show us anything at all.  It is like giving us a crystal clear picture of this indescribable treasure, yet he hands us the treasure map and all it says is, “Let me be,” with an arrow pointing to where there certainly is an “X” marking the spot.

                In Exodus 3 God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, something so outside of his understanding of what should be that it drew Moses closer and closer. It was here God reveals his name and his character, “I am who I am.”  I Am, the most referenced name for God in scripture.  It is the name that includes all names, it is the source and validation for His existence, and for ours.  Beautiful right?

                When God spoke to Moses in the desert and said, “I am who I am.”  He was saying I Am.  I am The Lord, the Righteous Judge, Faithful Friend, Prince of Peace.  I am the God who heals, the God who provides, the God who sees, I am the Lord God Almighty.  I am the Creator, Savior, the Living One, the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, I am the Lamb of God who was slain for you.  I Am.

                Last Wednesday we hosted an evening of prayer and worship to pray for Uganda and the community God has placed us in.  We didn’t quite know what to expect as only half of our team has roots here in Nashville, but when your heart is to know and love God it is safe to expect great things.  A couple dozen friends, young working professionals, college students, kids and their mothers, and friends of friends showed up to encourage us in prayer and worship with us as we wait to see just how God will move in Africa.  Perhaps I shouldn’t speak for my fellow team members, but I don’t believe any of us anticipated the number of participants or the heartfelt contribution as we interceded for the people of Uganda and as we prayed protection and provision over our trip.

Again I was asking myself, “Why?”  But I wasn’t asking God, “Who?”  I know I am not alone in saying this, but it is so easy for me to lose sight of who He is.  I find myself looking for guidance and direction and I pull out the treasure map I referenced early only to read, “Let me be.”   Instead of doing anything better, sometimes I need to first let Him be.  I need to let God be God.  How boring would this life be if all of our plans were never foiled, or if they were only as good as we imagined and no grander.  God desires to seize that empty space in our lives so he can blow our minds.  And when we ask, “why?” he simply wants to remind us who he is.  He wants those words, “I am that I am” to ring so loudly in our ears we think of peace, protection, provision, and comfort and we remove all doubt and remember he is with us.  He never intended us to do it without him. 

Maybe that’s why my map is empty.  It only reads, “Let me be,” because if there was a long list of things needed to be done I would try doing them without him.  My efforts may turn out good, but would they ever blow my mind?  While I find myself muttering frustrations at times, I have come to be so grateful as God holds me in a position of suspense and dependence.  I feel I would miss out on opportunities to work with the people I do now and witness all that God is up to, I’d continue to believe my hearts desires are for separate seasons rather than in God’s timing.  I’d continue to have a very small understanding of God and his love, and I’d continue forgetting to simply let him be.

We can’t thank those of you enough who joined us in prayer last Wednesday, your love for Jesus and your time in prayer has encouraged us more than you know.  We simply ask you to continue covering us in prayer.  Pray for the people of Uganda and for our leaders there.  Pray for their families and for them to grow deeper in their knowledge of Him.  Pray the people of Parwech long for the love Jesus offers, and pray their hearts would be ready to receive Him as truth, hope, and love.  Pray also for us, pray that we would let God be God in all we do and hearts would be drawn to him.  Pray our understanding of Him would grow daily, and that we would not limit him in anything we do. 

Thank you again for your prayers and your support of Switchboard Missions and may the whole world know of His great love for us.

In grace and love…

The newest addition to the Switchboard Team,

Cyrus Eaton

Sorry for the delay...Update #3!

Afoyo!  Itye mabe?  (that means "Hello!" and "How are you?" in Acholi)  Greetings from beautiful Uganda!  First and foremost, we want to sincerely apologize for our lack of updates these past few weeks.  There is no electricity in the village, and the power and internet we do get our few days in Gulu is often unreliable.  But in our case, no news has most definitely been good news!  I am not sure if the past month could have gone any better, as God has been so good to us and has continually allowed us to be a part of revealing Himself to the Acholi people day in and day out.   

Village life is simply incredible.  We've all been amazed at how much we have thoroughly enjoyed it.  There is something about the peacefulness that comes from living such a simple life that is hard to come by in America.  We've come to truly realize what Paul was talking about when he wrote Philippians 4:11-12: "...For I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything,  I have learned the secret of living in every situation whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."  Our God is the same loving Father in a remote village in Africa as He is in suburban America.  Genuine faith is never based on circumstances, but rather firmly rooted in the unshakeable foundation that God is supreme and worthy of all of our praise.  By stepping out of the noise and busyness of American life, we've been able to really rest in the presence of the Lord and engage with Him with undistracted hearts. This must be what He meant when He said "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) We know.   

Since we last updated you, through the grace of God, we have preached the gospel; made dozens of new friends; seen a witch doctor fully commit her life to Christ; met with government officials at various levels; worked intensively with our field staff on the ground in both the village and Gulu town; worked in numerous sub-villages with the village chiefs; passed out over a thousand mosquito nets given by Ethos Church in Nashville to breast-feeding mothers and pregnant women; assessed needs throughout the community; been asked questions all over the spectrum about God and the Bible; started planning for future water projects; visited schools and planned education programs; prayed over war-torn "haunted" areas and demon-possessed villagers; loved a ton of precious little kiddos; and worked with churches by "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying 'through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God'"(Acts 14:22). All of the glory goes to God for the doors that He has opened and the things that He has allowed us to do and be a part of. More than anything, however, we have seen God around every corner.  We've seen Him in the smiles of the people, in the sunrises and sunsets, in the answered prayers we've witnessed, in His guidance and direction for our next 30 years here, in the incredible stories of courage birthed from a 25-year war, in the beautiful picture of children lifting their hearts and hands in uninhibited worship, in His power displayed through a raging thunderstorm outside of our hut, and in his unconditional, unfailing, and unfathomable love for every single one of His children. More than any project or work we have done, the most important report back to you we can possibly give is that our God is very much alive and active in every crevice of the world.  He is moving in the hearts of people in some of the most broken places on earth, and meets each of us exactly where we are. He has showed that to us over and over throughout these past two months. 

Our time here is quickly dwindling, as we have under 3 weeks left in Africa now. We really can't believe how quickly it has flown by. Please join us in praising the Lord for all that He has done and keep us in your prayers as we attempt to finish strong.  

"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Psalm 34:1-3

Prayers:

-That the Word of God would be implanted in this community

-For guidance and direction for the next steps, projects, etc of The Tuli Initiative

-For churches and church leadership within Lalogi

-For courage and opportunities for intentional conversations about Jesus with the people we have built relationships with before we leave

-For God's work here to be uninterrupted by our leaving

-Continue to pray for the men here

Uganda Update #2 - Welcome to the Village

Afoyo (“Hello” in Acholi),

Our first 10 days as residents of Lalogi have been nothing short of amazing. The people are so warm and inviting, and their hospitality is unlike any we have ever seen. We’ve had village leaders, elders, pastors, traditional dance groups and so many others stop by to introduce themselves, offer us some helpful tips for village life or drop off a meal. We’ve been given a chicken (alive and clucking - we were thankful for our translators, Douglas and Clare, who did the dirty work, if you know what I mean...), greens, local nuts, sweet potatoes and little treats in between. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better welcome. We’ve met so many wonderful people, and already, in just our second full week, our days are full of meetings with a number of different people who want to discuss everything from the Bible to struggles within their churches to just getting to know us. It’s such a blessing to have all of these people around as we get settled into village life.

Nicole put it well this week, “Everything about village life is so simple, but nothing is easy.” We walk about a mile round-trip to get water each day, cook over a little charcoal stove that’s no more than 10 inches in diameter, walk miles to visit some of our neighbors and live by a small lantern every night once the sun goes down. However, there’s a certain beauty in the difficulties. It’s life -- raw and genuine. There’s no time for superficiality. The usual frustrations of life -- traffic jams, time constraints, slow internet connections, and busy, stressful schedules -- don’t exist here. Everything just moves a little more slowly. And the stars are completely indescribable. Overall, we’re making it quite well. Of course, most of our success can be attributed to Douglas and Clare. Undoubtedly, they are the reason that we make it through most days with more than just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to eat. They’ve been so patient to enlighten us in everything from cooking to knot-tying to speaking Acholi. We couldn’t do it without them.

Our projects are in full swing. We’ve been distributing mosquito nets all over Lalogi. We actually have a couple of large-scale net distributions coming up in the next week. By next Monday, we will have given out over 300 mosquito nets to pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and the caretakers of orphans. We still have a long way to go, but these distributions will be a great opportunity to develop a real presence in the community and meet more of our fellow villagers. We could not be more thankful for Ethos Church of Nashville for partnering with us in this and getting the ball rolling on all of our physical projects here. Also, a shout-out goes to the kids of First Baptist Church Olive Branch, MS who cracked open their piggy banks at a recent Vacation Bible School to provide 100 more nets for kids just like themselves here in Uganda. Thanks to you all!

Also, there’s a final, cool story that we wanted to mention here because it is the embodiment of the Tuli Initiative. We hope that Tuli will empower the local people to fight for a better future for their community. Every resource that is poured into Tuli is meant to bring about both physical provision and heart transformation. We want the people here to be the ones to truly bring about change in their homeland, and one of our volunteers here, Douglas (not the translator), is doing just that. He spent a lot of time helping us this past week, distributing nets, showing us around, getting us to meetings on time and managing our local office. During our time with him, he really shared his heart with us, so we wanted to share with you. Douglas has been working with Tuli for over a year now. The people here know and love him. He’s one of their own, and he has a heart for his people and above all his God. “I know the situation here. I’ve grown up here. This is my home,” he said. “I want to serve my people and, most of all, my God. I want to see change.” This is the attitude we pray God would instill in everyone we work with here -- locals working together for the good of each other and the glory of God.

Your turn... Prayer requests...

We’ve met so many pastors in just the past few days, and many have invited us to come visit them and their churches. Some have even invited us to preach. There is such a need here for men of God like them who are willing to lead and instruct people in the gospel, but, as always, it doesn’t come without challenges. Bad teaching, a lack of discipleship and little funding all plague these small churches. Pray for their pastors who work tirelessly each week. Pray for the people of their churches and that they would follow the lead of their pastors. Pray they would not lose heart when things get tough but would press on and understand that suffering produces endurance (James 1). Pray that God would use these men to capture other hearts like He has theirs and to bring revival to this community and this country.

We’ve also come into contact with so many people who just need to know Jesus Christ instead of the rules they’ve been told to follow. Many people, like a man we met the other night named Anthony, have just been confused by the complexity of out-of-context Scripture and just need to see the truth and simplicity of the Gospel. Pray that God would speak this message  through us clearly and simply and that the Holy Spirit, as He did in Anthony, would open their eyes to the freedom found in Jesus Christ.

Pray also for the men - that they would rise up to serve and lead their families and point them to Jesus. The women here carry most of the burden of their homes and families, while many of the men struggle with an addiction to alcohol. Pray that God would break these chains and that He would bring redemption to what has become part of culture here. 

Lastly, one of the greatest needs here is for Bibles. We’ve found a local distributor who produces Bibles in both English and the local language, Acholi, and they are $8 a piece.  If you would like to be a part of what God is doing here through providing Bibles for the people of Lalogi, visit our giving website, 

https://tuliinitiative.webconnex.com/Switchboard and put Bible in the notes section of your donation. 

This ministry is so much bigger than us. Your prayers and gifts are an absolutely essential piece of God’s plan for this wonderful place. Thanks for being part of this team.

Peace out muzungus,

The Switchboard Team

P.S. Muzungus is what they call the white people around here.

P.P.S. Now, you know some Lugandan.

Uganda Update #1 - Move-In Day

Today’s the day...

After just over a week in Uganda, we are ready to make the move from big city life to the village of Lalogi, from the comfort and ease of hotels and restaurants to a handmade bed in a concrete, thatched-roof hut and cooking over a small charcoal stove... To say that it will be a much-needed reality check could be the understatement of the century.

We’re ready... we think. We’ve had time to sleep off jet-lag, gather supplies and get a lay of the land. All this is thanks to none other than our Uganda Field Director Walter Ogwang. If we didn’t already know it, this week has gone a long way to prove that this entire operation would not exist without him. His work here on the ground in Uganda keeps the Tuli Initiative moving forward. To say the least, it has been impressive to see him in action. He is truly a hard-working, respectable man of God. We are so thankful to have him on our team. He is such a blessing from God and a picture of what the Tuli Initiative is all about, Ugandans working together for the good of their people to see God restore, renew and replenish their homeland.

We’ve also been able to spend some amazing time with Walter’s family while here in Gulu.  His wife, Jennifer, works for another Nashville based organization called Sweet Sleep.  She has been such a huge help in making us feel at home here and preparing us for the next few months.  The other day, she was explaining to us how organizations who intend to work with the people in any capacity must register with the local government as a Community-Based Organization (CBO). This registration gives an organization governmental permission to work in a specific community. In our case, that’s Lalogi. Uganda’s bureaucratic system, as is the case in many developing countries, is filled with corruption, and this registration process can be painstaking, absorbing precious time and money as you climb the political ladder to reach those from whom you need approval. However, God was gracious to us. What has taken many larger organizations years and hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars to complete took us a grand total of one month and zero dollars. Jennifer was floored at how quickly Tuli has been able to progress, and couldn’t help but marvel at how God has paved the way for that through contacts on the ground and our persistent field director. She also informed us today that we will be the first missionaries to actually come LIVE in the village of Lalogi.  God could pick any Christian in the entire world, or even just do it Himself, yet He has graciously allowed us the chance to join Him and be the first to live among these Ugandans and share His love with them day in and day out.  Is that grace or what??

It will be exhausting and extremely challenging, especially for three clueless Americans, but we couldn’t be more confident that this is the life God has called us to live here this summer. We want to see and understand in some small way how the people we feel called to serve live every day. We want to build real, lasting, mutually-beneficial relationships. We want to see true gospel-centered community take root. We want to see God’s healing and restoration NOW on this broken Earth, not just in eternity to come. And we want Him to use it all to radically change our own lives. 

This is where you come in...

We need you to pray for the 18,000+ citizens of Lalogi. Pray for their leaders. Pray for their pastors. Pray God would supply their daily needs and they would, in turn, recognize His provision. Most of all, pray God would open their hearts and minds to Him. Pray they would be receptive of His message of grace, hope and life. Pray that Jesus would make disciples in Uganda.

We need you to pray for us. Pray for a willingness to drop our comforts and embrace the simple life. Pray for a boldness to proclaim Jesus Christ to these people. Pray for our Uganda Field Director Walter Ogwang as he continues to work tirelessly to see Tuli through. Pray for our Ugandan friends Claire and Douglas, who will be living with us in the village all summer long, helping us survive and bridging the cultural and language barrier. Pray we would allow God to change us at the very core of who we are through this experience. Pray for our families as they have surrendered us to go to a place so far away and so unknown.

We’ll try to keep you as up to date as possible throughout the journey... Our hope is that everything we do and say will point directly to Him. We are merely His hands and feet.

We love you all!

To God be the glory,

The Switchboard Team